Blue Water Sailing — June-July 2017

(^66) BLUE WATER SAILING • June / July 2017
BWS
{ BROADREACHING } by ANDREWCROSS

W

ith our bright

blue spinnaker

poled out and

full of wind, we

sailed across the

border between

British Columbia and Alaska in per-

fect downwind style. Bathed in April

sunshine, our family of four whooped

and hollered at the occasion. It had

been nearly 700 mostly downwind

miles since leaving Victoria four weeks

prior and a sense of accomplishment

swirled in our wake.

After leaving the friendly confines

of the San Juan Islands in early March,

we weren’t in a rush to reach Alaska,

but it was our goal for the summer.

Helped along by spring southerlies,

we opted for an outside route along

the west coast of Vancouver Island

then hopped north to Haida Gwaii.

From there, Alaska was in our sights

and favorable breezes kept blowing

us north.

When we bought Yahtzee five years

ago, sailing to Alaska was a goal. A

dream. At the time, we didn’t know

when it would happen, how long it

would take or what the actual route

even looked like. We just knew we’d

get there. Being that we’re not the type

of sailors to sit at the dock and ramble

on about fixing our boat and half-

baked aspirations for what we’d do

with it, we chipped away at the dream

and made it happen. And here we are.

For boaters, reaching Alaska from

Washington via the Inside Passage

can be daunting. It’s far. And at times,

it’s not easy. While cruisers make the

trek north every year, sometimes over

and over again for many years, many

leave the Pacific Northwest and turn

left to head south without ever seeing

Alaska, which is an absolute shame.

For the crew of Yahtzee, though,

the voyage has been more than just a

trip north. We did it in an unconven-

tional way and are making the expe-

rience all our own. There aren’t many

other northbound boaters around,

the recreational fishing crowd has

yet to arrive and cruise ship season

is in its infancy, so we’re basking in

what it means to be here early—en-

joying spring southerly winds, open

wilderness and meeting hearty locals

who are getting their first taste of

visitors after a long winter.

For Jill, Alaska is her home state,

which means that being here amongst

its mountains, trees, water and resi-

dents is a homecoming. Born and

raised in “The Last Frontier” by ad-

venturous parents who drove across

the United States and Canada in a con-

verted school bus in the mid 1970s,

built a house with their bare hands

and then raised two children is about

as Alaskan as you can get. Throw in

the fact that their family staked claims

on a gold mine in the Alaska Range

north of Denali National Park, which

her brother still has, and we’re talking

full on Alaska pride. And if one thing

is certain, it’s that Alaska is a VERY

prideful state.

For good reason. Few people live

in this humongous state and even

fewer are born and raised here. It is a

cruising destination that is truly like

no other and the residents who call it

home are equally unique. From the

moment we tied to the dock in Ket-

chikan to clear customs we’ve been

welcomed with open arms by nearly

everyone we’ve come in contact with,

making us feel right at home.

Now, sitting at the doorstep to

Glacier Bay National Park, summer

awaits, and we can’t help but feel that

a cruising dream is being achieved.

Andrew, along with wife Jill and sons

Porter and Magnus, are currently cruising

the Pacific Northwest aboard their Grand

Soleil 39 Yahtzee. Follow their adventures

at threesheetsnw.com/yahtzee.

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